


The Monsters of the End

by Narina



Series: FFC 2021 [13]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, F/F, Modern with Apocalypse, Pre-Relationship, alternative universe - apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29985354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narina/pseuds/Narina
Summary: During the apocalypse, Camilla and Hinoka go hunting
Relationships: Camilla/Hinoka (Fire Emblem)
Series: FFC 2021 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160069
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2021: Apocalypse No





	The Monsters of the End

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Nothing graphic but mentions of injuries and blood as well as organs. Also, the monsters they fight are kind of spider-like.

The apocalypse is a lot more boring than Camilla had anticipated. There are no zombies or radiation fields and most humans have given up all hostility. Groups of survivors are spread out across the countries and occasionally meet for trading but mostly, Camilla just spends the time with her family. They have a small settlement in their old town and, after several failed attempts, are growing their own food. Elise especially has taken to gardening like a fish to water. 

The only break from boredom are the monsters. They aren’t everywhere but sometimes, they show up and cause chaos and then someone has to take care of them. They used to fight together during the early days but Elise prefers to stay inside and Leo lost his leg about a year ago, so he hasn’t been out in the field as much lately. Xander often comes along when she goes hunting but right now, it’s just her and her motorbike on an endless road. 

The informants spoke of spiderlike creatures in the mountains, a few hours south of the Nohrian base. She knows that Hoshido has gotten the memo as well but their old rivalry was buried under the ruins of a mansion when this whole apocalypse started. These days, she even looks forward to meeting them – though Takumi gets along more with Leo, their brains working in ways Camilla can’t even begin to understand. She isn’t complaining, it has gotten the radio communication and electricity back up. 

When she reaches her target location and parks the bike, there are traces already. Some trees are broken and thick webbing covers an old road sign. This used to be a tourist location, a starting point for hikers. Now it’s overrun by nature and while Camilla readies her axe and her knives, she hears the sound of rocket boots coming closer. Hinoka, then. Ryoma prefers cars and Sakura only rarely travels. Camilla decides to wait a little longer, she could use back-up for this. 

“Why are you always faster than me?” Hinoka lands with practiced ease and grabs the Naginata from her back. She’s wearing mostly dark red today and it suits her.

“I tuned my bike,” she replies, smiling as they hug briefly. “Do you know more than spiderlike?”

Hinoka shrugs. “Not really. No reports of venom but apparently, these things are fast.”

“Lovely.” Camilla shoulders her axe and turns toward the trail of broken branches. “Let’s finish them quickly, alright?”

“Whatever you say.” Hinoka nods and they fall into a comfortable silence as they stalk their prey. The thorny undergrowth tries clinging to their legs but they both wear combat boots and make quick work of every obstacle. It’s an easy trail to follow and that makes Camilla anxious about what is going to wait for them. 

What they find in the afternoon is a cluster of monsters, each one bigger than a car, with eight legs and too many eyes. They are disgusting and they resemble spiders but the bodies are wrong as if distorted by too many forces pushing and pulling around. The first one dies quickly, with an axe ruining its legs and a naginata finding its brain through one eye. After that, it gets harder.

Camilla loses herself in the fight, swinging her axe and taking off limbs but the spiders keep coming and there’s only so much the two of them can do. Eventually, she has to let go of her axe, unable to get it out of a spider’s skull in time to duck another’s attack. Something crunches under her boot, a bone or piece of chitin, and she slips on spider organs but manages to draw her knife, roll back to her feet and stab the next attacker.

A quick glance to the side tells her that Hinoka is doing a good job, the naginata allowing her to stay out of reach and attack quickly. They will win but they won’t walk out uninjured. Camilla grits her teeth and mostly tries to dodge because as much as she loves her knives, they don’t do much here. Something catches her leg and she cries out, stumbling and not finding anything to hold on to. There’s blood spilling from an open wound, caused by a claw that sliced clean through leather and flesh. 

She crawls backwards, weapons still in hand, but is unable to do much more than throw one knife into a spider’s eye before something, a blunt part of some spider’s body, hits her chest and drives the air from her lungs. _Fuck_ is all the can think before the world goes dark. 

~

When she comes back to her senses, she is lying on something soft and everything hurts. Camilla tries to sit up – there’s fresh air and wind, there are stars above her, she needs to get up – but the pain forces her down again. Breathing is hard and she remembers the hit that should have cost her life. Before she can fully figure everything out, Hinoka appears next to her, a bottle of water in one hand.

“What happened?” Her voice is hoarse but her lungs seem undamaged. 

“Corrin showed up when you went down.” Hinoka sits down and helps her up enough that she can drink something. The water is clean and fresh, there has to be a spring nearby. “We took care of the rest and I carried you down here.”

“Oh.” Camilla closes her eyes again, taking shallow breaths because everything else hurts too much even for someone so used to pain. “Where are they now?”

“Scouting for any monsters we might have missed. They should be back soon.”

“Good.” She smiles, drinking a little more water. Beneath her is Hinoka’s cape, she now realizes. A blanket is draped over her bare legs, the fabric scratchy on her skin. 

“I had to cut up your pants, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” She’d prefer Hinoka taking them off in a situation that’s not life threatening but she is also glad to have someone to look out for her. “Thanks.” Camilla shifts a little, pulling aside the blanket to inspect the wound. It’s been dressed and there’s no blood seeping through the bandages so it’ll hopefully heal quick. Which only leaves the issue with her chest and when she carefully touches it, she feels another press of pain. Bruising, then. Annoying but not fatal, she has carried bruises for most of her childhood. They will fade. 

“We shouldn’t travel far tonight,” Hinoka says. They’re still sitting close together and Camilla just nods. She wants to rest some more and then get back to her family. 

“Isn’t there a settlement around here?” Between the trees, she can see the setting sun. Driving home now would be too dangerous but staying out in the open at night is pretty much asking for death unless you’re Corrin. They thrive out here, not entirely human but a friend of humanity. 

“There is one a few miles down the road. We should be able to make it if you let me drive.”

Camilla laughs, noticing the spark in Hinoka’s eyes at the idea of driving her bike. The rocket boots are great but not suited for two people. “Alright, dear. Leave a note for Corrin, alright?”

“Will do.” Hinoka scribbles a note to pin to a tree, then she readies their sparse supplies and helps Camilla into cleans pants and onto the bike. It’s nice like this, pressed to Hinoka’s back with the wind in her hair. Now she only needs to get her hands on some pain killers and maybe spend the night cuddling.


End file.
